Cat shot at close range with pellet gun

May 16, 2012

Another Bokeelia cat was shot May 2 leaving him with a broken leg due to a pellet gun wound.

Michelle Scalf said she was watching TV on that Wednesday night when her son went outside and found their 1-year-old cat, Oreo, covered in dirt and sand. She said that her son said, "Mommy there is something wrong with Oreo, he is limping."

Scalf said she went outside and saw that his leg was obviously broken and took him to the vet the following morning.

The original thought of Oreo's owner was that he might have been in a fight with a dog, which is what left his leg injured.

"They did an X-ray and found out that he had been shot at short range with a pellet gun," Scalf said.

She said she thinks whoever shot Oreo picked him up and threw him over her 6-foot privacy fence after he was shot.

"I am assuming he held him when he shot him and threw him over the fence," Scalf said of who shot her cat.

A splint was put on Oreo's leg, which made it difficult for him to maneuver around the first couple of days. Scalf said he cried all the time because he was hurting, but she kept him sedated and as comfortable as possible.

"He couldn't walk because he was not used to the splint," she said.

A week later Oreo is finally getting used to using the splint and is having more success getting to his food and litter box. Scalf believes that Oreo will be fine because he is able to get around OK with the splint.

"I have to take him back in the next couple of weeks," she said about the veterinarian's office. "He should be able to walk without a problem. He is able to get around now, so when the splint comes off he will be fine."

The first injured cat on Thomas Street occurred towards the end of December last year after Blizzard's owner Lori DePalma found out that her cat was shot twice - once near the rib cage and the other a half inch from his right eye. The gunshot to the eye left the cat without vision.

Blizzard, who used to go on walks, now spends his time in a pet stroller to keep him safe while outside.

"I bring him out at night and early morning in a pet stroller," DePalma said.

Although Blizzard is blind in one eye, he is doing good and putting on weight.

"He is a happy cat," she said.

Due to the severity of Blizzard's condition and the surgery that was needed to try and remove the bullet, the Pine Island Animal Clinic set up a fund - Blizzard Fund - to provide individuals with the opportunity to donate to the fund if they so desire.

DePalma said they are still receiving donations from residents at Pine Island Animal Clinic.

"If it wasn't for them, Blizzard wouldn't look this good," she said.

DePalma said the Sheriff's Department is finally going to get involved in the investigation because Animal Control has not responded to any of her phone calls about the matter.

"We are getting closer," she said of finding out who is shooting the cats. "Now we know where it is coming from."

The residents of Thomas Street said another cat was put down and another poisoned.